It might
be serial number 00002, but as no. 00001 went to a convertible, this 1965 Ford Mustang is the very first
Mustang hardtop. Exhaustively researched by historian Bob Fria, it's unclear whether the convertible or this
car rolled off the assembly line first. What is clear is that it was built during pre-production preparation
and was meant to end up at a Vancouver dealer to be on display for the car's introduction. Instead, it was
accidentally misrouted and ended up in the cold of the Yukon. Fria eventually tracked the car down in 1997, and
it underwent a two-year restoration that returned it to its original condition — complete with a date code
correct 170ci inline 6-cylinder engine. As a result, it's not only a supremely rare piece of automotive history
but one that's in pristine condition, as well.

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Highlights

Serial no. 00002

Recognized as the first Mustang hardtop to receive a VIN

Body transferred from the pilot plant in Allen Park to the Dearborn facility to become
pre-production Vin car

Shipped in error to Whitehorse Motors Ford in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory in Western
Canada

Same owner since 1997

Date code correct 170 CI inline 6-cylinder engine

3-speed manual transmission

Caspian Blue with Blue crinkle vinyl interior

13 inch wheels

In the rarified air of top collector cars, no description raises eyebrows quicker than
“first.” For Mustang, a car line that has been produced for 53 consecutive model years with more than 9
million sold, there is only one “first” hardtop. Amazingly, through fate, or perhaps sheer luck, 5F07U100002
survives today.

On Monday, February 10, 1964—the day after watching the Beatles’ debut on "The Ed
Sullivan Show"—Ford workers returned to the Dearborn Assembly Plant to find a new vehicle interspersed among
the 1964 Fairlanes. It was the 1965 Mustang, a sporty compact championed by Ford General Manager Lee Iacocca.
As part of the pre-production preparation, the plant needed to train workers as well as build Mustangs for
important PR duties, including a dozen convertibles for the Magic Skyway at the soon-to-open New York World’s
Fair. However, the first two orders, convertible 5F08F100001 and hardtop 5F07U100002, were destined for the
long trip to east- and west-coast Canadian Ford dealers so they would have a new Mustang in their showrooms
for introduction day, April 17.

For two decades, Bob Fria has been unraveling the tale of 5F07U100002, a Caspian Blue
1965 Mustang hardtop. The early VIN piqued Fria’s interest. During the restoration disassembly, Fria
discovered production oddities, including prototype sheetmetal stampings and welds unlike those found on
later Mustangs. As Fria dug into the car’s history by interviewing former Ford employees and becoming friends
with Iacocca along the way, he became the foremost authority on early Mustang development, especially the
hectic early months of 1964 as Ford prepared its new car for production. Fria eventually put his research
into a book, “Mustang Genesis.”

Fria’s digging revealed that between 150 and 180 pre-production Mustangs were built
between February 10 and March 5, 1964, all with a pre-assigned 05C (March 5) build date stamped in their data
plates. Some came from the Allen Park Pilot Plant where they had been used to develop the assembly-line build
processes. These partially completed pilot Mustangs were trucked to the Dearborn Assembly Plant for the
pre-production assembly-line startup on February 10.

Among these Pilot Plant chassis was the Mustang thatwould be assigned VIN 5F07U100002, the first VIN assigned to a hardtop. However, the
consecutive unit number didn’t necessarily determine the order off the assembly line. Then, like today, Ford
didn’t necessarily build cars consecutively by VIN. Despite Fria’s efforts, he has been unable to determine
which Mustang was the first off the line.

Fria did learn that 100002 was scheduled for early assembly to allow time for shipping
by rail to Brown Brothers Ford in Vancouver on Canada’s western coast. However, the Caspian Blue hardtop was
somehow misrouted, eventually ending up at Whitehorse Motors in the Yukon Territory in May and totally
missing the Mustang’s April 17 introduction. There was never a more unlikely car for the cold, rugged Yukon
than a Mustang with a 6-cylinder engine, 3-speed stick and 13-inch tires. Whitehorse Motors installed a block
heater, then used the car as a demonstrator until it was finally sold in the spring of 1965.

Only a handful of the pre-production 1965 Mustangs survive today, including the first
two serialized 1965 cars. The convertible, 100001, is owned by Ford Motor Company and displayed at The Henry
Ford Museum. Fria rescued 100002 in 1997 after 13 previous owners. A two-year restoration returned the
hardtop to its 1964 condition, complete with a date-coded 170 CI 6-cylinder engine. The historic
first-serialized Mustang hardtop was displayed at Ford World Headquarters during Ford’s
100th anniversary and has been photographed with Lee Iacocca.

There is only one “first.” This Mustang goes down in pony-car history as the first
hardtop to receive a serial number.